Are you suffering from Vitamin B12 deficiency?

Is this why you feel tired, irritable and forgetful? Experts now believe that many modern-day malaises are down to a simple vitamin B12 deficiency.

Some people seem to get all the bad luck – especially when it comes to their health. If that sounds like you, you're probably no stranger to your doctor's waiting room. If it's not insomnia, it's IBS. And if it's not IBS, it's cystitis. You won't even mention your more trivial concerns – dry skin, brittle nails and greying hair.

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In fact all these symptoms, even the more minor ones, could be linked, no matter how random they seem (even to your GP). And the common factor may also be the reason your elderly mum has dementia, and your sister's started taking Prozac.

The truth could be that you could have an inherited glitch that stops you absorbing vitamin B12 – a little-known condition known as pernicious anaemia, that affects nearly every aspect of our health.

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Officially, only one in 10,000 people are affected across northern Europe, especially women with blue eyes, prematurely grey hair and tinnitus. But, according to Dr Joseph Chandy of the B12 Deficiency Support Group, the problem may be responsible for irreversible and life-destroying disease in 20 per cent of the world's population. 'Unfortunately too few doctors are aware of this, or that treatment is cheap, easy and side effect-free,' he says.

Depression, coeliac disease, rosacea, vitiligo, tinnitus, dementia, MS, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and arrhythmia are just a few of the conditions that go hand in hand with vitamin B12 deficiency, according to Martyn Hooper, chairman of the Pernicious Anaemia Society and author of 'Pernicious Anaemia: The Forgotten Disease' (Hammersmith Health Books, £14.99). 'Screening needs to be improved, because, left undiagnosed, the condition can have devastating consequences – especially in relation to nerve damage.'

Depression, dementia & B12

When B12 levels fall below 500, the brain starts to deteriorate at twice the usual rate. B12 also helps us make key brain chemicals affecting mood, and if you're not getting enough, this can leave you feeling weepy and drained, with mood swings, poor concentration and fear of social situations. These are all classic symptoms of depression and, unfortunately, many patients end up on antidepressants.

Vitamin B12 deficiency also becomes more common after the age of 60, making memory loss six times more likely in those who are deficient. 'B12 screening needs to be routine for all patients with suspected depression or dementia – at the moment it's not, and that means too many people could be missing out on this simple and cheap treatment,' says Martyn.

Dr Chandy is in no doubt of the importance of the vitamin: 'The most fascinating and far-reaching clinical discovery I've made in the past 30 years is how a simple, harmless and cheap B12 vitamin can not only cure, but also prevent, a wide spectrum of diseases affecting every part of the human body and mind,' he says.

Getting treated for vitamin B12 deficiency

A simple blood test can check your B12 level. If it falls below 500, you can start to experience symptoms (but not everyone will). However, you may not qualify for NHS treatment (with B12 injections) unless your level is below 150-180. 'If you do not qualify for treatment, one option is self-medication – for example, with sublingual lozenges (such as Biochem Superior B12, £13.75 for 50, For Your Health), which are more easily absorbed than conventional supplements,' says Martyn.

Could you be B12 deficient?

Take our quiz and tot up your points for each symptom you experience...

✫ Unexplained tiredness 5 points

✫ Brain fog 5 points

✫ Breathlessness 5 points

✫ Brittle nails 5 points

✫ Brittle nails with ridges 5 points

✫ Pins and needles (usually in your hands and feet) 5 points

✫ Swollen and/or sore tongue 5 points

✫ Sudden diarrhoea 5 points

✫ Balance problems 5 points

✫ General unsteadiness 5 points

✫ Vertigo 5 points

✫ Burning legs or feet 5 points

✫ Tinnitus 2 points

✫ Irritability/anger/impatience 2 points

✫ Family history of B12 deficiency/pernicious anaemia 2 points

✫ Hair loss 1 point

✫ Dry skin 1 point

✫ Lack of concentration 1 point

✫ Memory loss 1 point

✫ Insomnia 1 point

✫ Prematurely grey hair 1 point

✫ Psoriasis/eczema/acne 1 point

✫ Rosacea 1 point

✫ Arrhythmia 1 point

✫ Vitiligo 1 point

✫ Anaemia 1 point

✫ Infertility 1 point

✫ Dizziness 1 point

✫ Bleeding gums/mouth ulcers 1 point

✫ Loss of appetite/weight loss 1 point

✫ Neuralgia 1 point

✫ Numbness 1 point

✫ Depression/anxiety 1 point

✫ Confusion 1 point

✫ Blurred vision 1 point

Test: Pernicious Anemia Society

What your score means:

66 points and over See your doctor urgently to discuss these symptoms.

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